Anomaly
by xKesshoux
Summary: The one that's waiting for him... The one he's been waiting for... His mind forgets, but his body never will. The truth is a bitter taste in his mouth, but it's one he gropes for blindly. A stranger he trusts, but a lover he knows.
1. Wish you were here

Technically...I don't know if I could call it a prologue. It seems to fit like that, but then that would insinuate I wanted to make this multichaptered. In the end, I think I'm going to end up doing just that.

The basic comment I suppose I have for this would be that it spawned from listening too much to the Incubus song "Anna Molly". This is something I'm writing by myself, so it's likely that depending on feedback, I'll end up writing faster. I'm currently in a slump with it, to the point that I've finally broken down and decided that if I try and make it a rather long oneshot, it'll never work.

Long story short, this started off as not only a oneshot, but a drabble. I had no intention of making it longer than this prologue here, but it just wouldn't let me stop! I've gotten a little ways into it already, but I still want to tweak it and rewrite some parts and add body to it before posting the first "chapter".

Also, I seemingly completely forgot to mention that yes, this is completely AU. Enjoy!

* * *

Sasuke stood, gazing blankly out over the water as the sun went down. A brisk, fall wind whipped around his slender frame, tossing his hair every which way. 

_There's someone waiting for me,_ he thought, wondering perhaps if he could stare straight to the horizon and there that someone would be, if only he could stare far enough. He turned, reaching up to brush the hair from his face and straightening the collar of his shirt. The city lights were coming on, one by one in the distance, but out here, the rising roar of the night life and the traffic was eclipsed by the roar of the sea.

"Keep waiting for me," he whispered to the chilly air and the waves. "I'll find you."

There was a storm moving in. He could feel it in the shift of the wind and the smell of moisture in the air, even if he couldn't see a cloud overhead. Shoving his hands into the pockets of his dress slacks, he stepped away from the pier.

The real world, he knew, would never wait for him, and it was with that resignation that he left his own private sanctuary, immersing himself in the sounds of the night cutting loose around him. This was home; isolation in the midst of a bustling city that would never give him a second glance and a house where nobody waited for him.

* * *

Short, I know. It gets longer, it gets better, but I'm not sure when the next part will come seeing as I've still got a lot of tweaking to do. I could possibly even leave it as a oneshot drabble (with the addition of another part I think particularly fits with it) if the response isn't good enough to make me feel as though I should post the rest up here. We'll see!  



	2. City by the sea

Well. It took me a while to figure out what to put in between places, and to find out what was missing.

When I first started this, it moved way too fast for my liking, so I decided to space it out and fill it out a bit. This is probably going to end up being a lot longer than I intended it to be (a drabble, a one-shot, a full-blown chapterfic, this thing has really run away with me).

It's probably not quite what you expected from the prologue, but I hope you like it so far anyway!

* * *

He was eighteen this year, and still living off his inheritance. Ever since the electrical fire that sent his family's private jet on a nosedive into the Atlantic the day before his sixteenth birthday, he'd been living alone in their Fourth Street flat that was left to him, going to school only out of necessity rather than want.

For the past two years or so, he'd been having strange dreams, always left with the unsettling feeling that he was forgetting something when he woke. Last night was no different, and he pondered the person whose face and name he couldn't remember over coffee and toast like he always did. He'd recently started to question why his parents never seemed to have any pictures of the entire family from before he turned fourteen, despite their story that there had been a fire and most of those photographs were lost in it.

For the life of him, Sasuke couldn't remember a thing about a fire, or much of what happened prior to when he turned fourteen, even. He had a feeling that the dreams he'd been having had something to do with it, but he really had no way to be sure. He remembered his parents telling him that he'd been traumatized after the fire, a sure explanation of why he couldn't remember it, but still, it felt... suspicious.

With a sigh, he pushed the thoughts aside in a similar manner to the way he pushed himself back from the table, toast barely nibbled on and a full cup of coffee getting cold as he slipped on his jacket, grabbed his bag, and stepped out to face the wind and the humidity left over from the storm that'd come and gone sometime in the night. A whispered 'be back later' was swept away on the breeze.

As he followed his usual route toward the subway, he couldn't help but feel as though someone was watching him. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing up, and he pulled the collar of his jacket up to block the chill wind.

As he took his seat on the train, a strange chill ran the length of his spine, and he caught a glimpse of long, dark hair and a feminine face in a neatly pressed suit staring straight at him, but as he looked over to glare at the person and possibly make a rude hand gesture, there was nobody that stood out at all in the sea of faces.

_Weird..._ he thought to himself, slumping down in his seat as the train pulled away from the station. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing something big, and when he closed his eyes, all he could think about was the same strong back and impeccably neat, long, black hair from his dreams. _I just haven't been getting enough sleep, I'm probably seeing things,_ he told himself, already feeling exhausted before his day even started. He _really_ wasn't looking forward to today's classes.

-------------------

Dark eyes focused on the dull, grey sky outside the classroom window, pencil idly tapping on the faux wood surface of his desk. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Sasuke registered that the teacher was talking, but he paid it no mind. These classes were pointlessly easy, and he wasn't even really sure as to why he didn't just test out of them in the first place. A tiny voice in the back of his head told him that it was because he needed the comfort of normality.

He caught a glimpse of long, dark hair in the courtyard below his second floor classroom, and for a moment his dream came back to him. Blinking, he shook the vision away, noting with distaste that it was just that Hyuuga jackass. They never had gotten along. He let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding.

When the bell rang, he rose from his seat, gathering his things and heading for the door. Lunch just hadn't come soon enough, despite the fact that he wasn't that hungry.

Lunch meant he could maybe catch a nap in the courtyard if he didn't feel like eating, and it also meant that he had his next period free, a benefit of senior year. Pulling his jacket tighter around his shoulders, he made his way outside, ignoring the whispers from a nearby group of girls.

Despite the chilly weather, he took his usual spot beneath one of the larger trees, reclining and letting his eyes slip closed. The cold meant that there wouldn't be too many others loitering about, at least, and he drifted off quickly to the sound of passing cars and the wind in the leaves.

He dreamed of a familiar, gentle caress, the tickle of hair against his face, a whisper in his ear.

_I'll see you soon, Sasuke..._

"HEY SASUKE!"

Dark eyes snapped open, the lingering feeling of a touch on his cheek fading quickly. Sasuke looked around, quickly spotting the source of his rude awakening in the form of an obnoxious, spiky headed blond that was currently sprinting across the courtyard toward him.

Rubbing one of his eyes, he pushed himself away from the tree, dusting off his clothes and straightening his hair just as Naruto slowed to a stop in front of him. He knew better than to think he would be getting back to sleep now that this idiot had found him.

"What, idiot?" he questioned, not bothering to hide how irritated he was at being woken up after sleeping terribly the night before. While the blond caught his breath, he overheard another group of girls whispering not so quietly to each other.

_Did you see that guy? He was so HOT!_

You really like the dark and mysterious ones, don't you?

Shut up! Admit it, you'd sleep with him!

But did you see the way he was leaning over-

"Hey, bastard, listen to me when I'm talking to you!" Naruto snapped, waving a hand in front of Sasuke's face. "I was _trying_ to tell you that there's a party Friday night, you should come! I figured you seemed stressed or bummed or something lately, you could use the excuse to loosen up."

"Fine," Sasuke answered, adjusting the strap of his bag so it would stop digging into his shoulder. He agreed because he knew that the blond wouldn't stop bothering him until he did, and he just didn't have the energy to deal with a persistant Naruto.

"YES!" Said blond whooped, pumping a fist in the air in a dramatic gesture of his excitement. Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he turned to walk back toward the building.

"HEY! Hey wait a second! Don't just wa-" The sound of the bell ringing echoed across campus, and Naruto let out a loud curse. "IT'S AT KIBA'S HOUSE, SEVEN THIRTY!" he shouted, already running toward the other side of campus to get to his next class.

Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Sasuke fought off his oncoming headache.

-------------------

At the end of the day, Sasuke took the same train home. There were no strange people watching him, nor were there any out of the ordinary sharply dressed businessmen. He didn't feel as though he was being watched, even up until he got home (he wondered why he felt almost... _disappointed_). What _was_ out of the ordinary, was the envelope tucked into the crack of his door, his first named scrawled in overly elegant handwriting on its otherwise pristine front.

He grabbed it, pushing open the door and dropping his bag inside with a muttered 'I'm home' to the empty house. Kicking the door shut behind him, he tossed the envelope, along with the rest of his mail, on the coffee table, heading to the kitchen for a snack. After rifling through the fridge for a few minutes, he decided on making himself a couple of sandwiches, flopping down on the couch with the plate and shuffling through the stack of junk mail that'd scattered hapazardly across the table.

Not even bothering to open most of the envelopes, he dropped the entire pile in the trashcan, finishing his sandwiches and washing off the plate and putting it up.

Distractedly, he shed his jacket, throwing it over the arm of the couch as he started on the buttons of his shirt. Making his way to the bathroom, he sighed, turning on the shower and stripping of the rest of his clothes, which promptly found a home in the hamper across from the sink.

He watched as the mirror started to fog, noting the dark circles forming under his eyes before his image became too clouded to make out clearly.

_I'm really not getting enough sleep..._ he thought with a frown, stepping into the shower and letting the scalding water wash away his troubled thoughts.

-------------------

Across town in a luxury hotel suite, nursing a glass of expensive scotch, sat a man five years Sasuke's senior, eyes smokier than the taste of the drink in his hand observing the luminescent ants that zipped along the roads far beneath him.

One small lamp sat lit on the ornate table to the right of the bed, dimmed as low as it would go. The only other light came from the window he left open, a heavy silence blanketing the room where the sounds of the busy city didn't reach. He swirled the liquid in his glass, a practiced calm registering on his deceptively delicate features.

"To you, Sasuke..." he murmured, voice like liquid silk flowing into the silence rather than cutting it. He let the tiniest of smiles quirk the corners of his lips, raising the glass to the city lights and tapping it against the window, downing the rest of the drink in one go.

_I've waited so long... And finally, I've found you._

* * *

Well. Hopefully this'll get some more reviews. It might be a while before the next chapter, as I'm not entirely sure what to put in between the parts I've got written up. xx


	3. Sail me Back From Distress

Hokay. I've had this done for a couple days, but I kept thinking it was moving too fast or something still. After trying and trying, I couldn't come up with anything else to go between the last chapter and what happens next, and after rereading this chapter, I realized that it didn't really seem too fast to me.

Though, I'd still like your opinions!

What else... Ah! This one-sided NaruSasu was completely not in the game plan when I started this. I blame it on Rasengan22, Pho, animehead, and all the other people I can't remember off the top of my head that I've read these past weeks.

* * *

_A chill down his spine, the arch of his back; pleasure given by familiar, experienced hands. A moan, low and breathy left his lips; a name, a face that was blurred, a word forgotten as soon as it escaped his throat._

A scream; his mother, piercing and shrill and shocked.

Yelling; his father, low and angry and disgusted.

Another chill, fading warmth, a sickening churn in his stomach.

A third voice not his own, low and calm and grounding and heaven and strained against the wordless yelling.

"Mother. Father."

"Get out_." His father again; enraged, **livid**._

"Oh, Sasuke..." His mother, worried unnecessarily.

Those same strong shoulders, graceful, unwavering, disappearing_._

Screaming, screaming, **SCREAMING**; his own.

"I hate you! I **hate** you! Why! WHY! **WHY!**"

Sasuke started awake, breath catching on a name he didn't know and tears in his eyes, limbs shaking. He clutched his shoulders tightly, the dream already fading away back into his subconscious. He willed his body to stop trembling slowly, climbing out of bed and making his way to the kitchen to fix himself a cup of coffee out of habit. Not once since these dreams started did he ever get back to sleep after waking from one.

The clock on the coffee pot read 4:17 in the morning. What a way to start the day.

-------------------

_Sasuke..._

"_Sasuke..._"

"Sasuke, do you think you can join us for just one minute today?"

His teacher's voice broke him out of his thoughts, dark eyes focusing on the man at the front of the room.

"Sorry," he started, feeling too irritable from lack of sleep to know when to quit. "it's just that your lesson is so fundamentally _boring_ that I can't really focus on it. I'd rather watch paint dry. You and I both know I'm going to ace this class, so why are you getting on my case about it?"

He ignored the stares and the shocked silence, gathering his things and standing from his seat. All eyes were on him as he shrugged his bag over his shoulder and walked right out of the classroom.

None of his classes today were even worth going to. He wondered why he even bothered coming to school today, letting out a sigh and stepping out into the crisp autumn air. He took a deep breath, letting the gentle breeze ruffle his hair.

Today, he was going to relax somewhere quiet, maybe even catch up on a little sleep. At least, that was what he'd had planned when he'd stepped out of the school building.

What he hadn't counted on was the principal following him outside to dish out an after school detention for his acting out.

Already his mood was going from bad to worse, and it wasn't even ten in the morning yet.

-------------------

It was later that evening that he returned to his flat, frustrated and pissed at the world (or more specifically, his annoying blond friend who had convinced him earlier that week into a party tonight, at which he knew perfectly well said blond would do everything in his power to get him shitfaced). He threw his bag down in the entryway, heading straight to the kitchen for a drink to help him calm down before he changed and headed out.

Flopping down on the couch, he popped open the can, taking a long drink and kicking his feet out under the coffee table, only to hear the sound of crinkling paper. Confused, he leaned down, groping blindly under the table until his hand closed on what felt like an envelope. Pulling the now slightly wrinkled envelope out, he found himself face to face with the letter that had been stuck in his door, too neat handwriting staring blatantly up at him. He'd completely forgotten about it the other day, realizing that it must have fallen off the table when he'd tossed his mail, avoiding his scrutiny and the trashcan all at once.

Giving it a half-hearted glare, he swallowed the sip of soda he'd taken before setting the can down and tearing the envelope open. His eyes scanned the paper inside once, then twice to make sure he read it right. The person seemed frighteningly familiar with him, but he couldn't understand why. He didn't know anyone named Itachi.

_'I'll be waiting...'_ the letter read, _'They're gone now and I've found you again, they can't hide you from me anymore.'_

The more he read it over, the more shaken up he got. It sounded like some creepy stalker thing, and he was becoming increasingly uncomfortable about the fact that this Itachi person knew where he lived. Tearing the letter in half, he threw it away, reaching again for his soda only to knock it over, cursing loudly. Maybe he did need to unwind. Maybe getting drunk was just what he needed.

He pushed himself up off the couch, making quick work of changing into something more casual. He chucked the empty can and the paper towels he'd used to clean up the spill into the trashcan, grabbing his keys on the way out the door and being doubly sure to lock it behind him. Didn't want any creepy psycho stalkers greeting his smashed ass whenever he dragged himself home.

-------------------

By the time he arrived at Kiba's house (two hours late, no less), the party was already in full swing. A rather tipsy Sakura answered the door, practically draping herself on him as he made his way inside. He shrugged her off, ignoring the dejected pout she gave him in favor of scanning the living room for a certain blond idiot.

Not spotting Naruto, he frowned, making his way through what seemed to almost be the entire senior class toward the kitchen. As he neared the room, a loud shout caught his attention, and he turned toward the stairs, immediately spotting the person he'd been looking for.

"SASUKEEEEEEEEE!"

Despite the night barely being started, it was rather obvious the blond was well on his way to being very, very drunk.

"Hey, Sasuke, get some booze and come on up!" Naruto called, grinning like a fox and making his way back up the stairs without checking to see if Sasuke was following; he knew he would.

Dropping by the kitchen, the Uchiha found himself with a drink pushed into each hand, and with a resigned sigh, he wormed his way toward the stairs to the loud thump of bass blaring from the stereo system. He had to admit, the Inuzuka family wasn't too terribly bad off. They didn't have near as much as the Hyuugas or even Sasuke himself, but they ran a decent business and came up with enough to live comfortably.

He got sidetracked at the bottom of the stairs by Suigetsu, who rambled at him drunkenly for a period of time he really didn't pay attention to. After a while, he realized that he had no idea what the man was talking about, and excused himself to get back to his original plan of following his idiot friend.

At the top of the stairs, he realized that one of the cups in his hands was empty, not quite sure when he'd downed it but not quite caring. Dark eyes looked across the hall, catching a glimpse of blond and making his way to the right.

When his hand was grabbed, he managed to look completely unfazed, though when Naruto started to drag him right back downstairs, he had to wonder just what the point was of him going up in the first place. A muttered 'you took too damn long, bastard!' let him know that it was purely the blond's impatience that was to blame.

"Everybody's dancing," the blond pointed out, which was rather obvious as far as Sasuke was concerned. He _had_ been forced to weave through gyrating bodies to get a drink and make his way upstairs, after all. He lost his second cup somewhere along the way to the mass of people, getting suddenly pulled into the mix by his probably-more-than-just-tipsy best friend.

The blond leaned close, and Sasuke backed up, unnerved by the look in shockingly blue eyes. When his back hit the wall, he was drowning in the steady thrum that vibrated the whole house, but he fully registered the fact that Naruto was pressed up against him. He barely caught the words that were whispered into his ear, only knowing that he was _not_ intoxicated in the least, especially not enough for _this_.

"_Dance with me, Sasuke..._"

"Naruto, how much have you-" his words were cut off by lips on his, and no, no he was not drunk enough for this to be happening _at all_, but by the heavy taste of fruit and alcohol on the tongue that tried to pry his lips apart (and they succeeded, because he was slack-jawed with shock), Naruto definitely was.

Getting his senses back about himself, he placed his palms flat against Naruto's chest and pushed him away. He didn't miss the look of confused hurt in his friend's eyes, but he still turned and started shoving his way through writhing bodies, his head pounding with the beat and his heart racing.

He had to get out. He had to get away. Despite the fact that he'd come to the party to wind down, he'd only managed to get wound up tighter than he'd been earlier, and one drink wasn't enough to keep him from retreating from the blaring music and his confusing, drunk friend back to his car.

They'd talked this over already. They'd agreed to just be friends when Naruto had confessed to him in ninth grade. Sasuke just didn't return his feelings. He didn't know why he'd let the blond drag him to this stupid party.

There was only one place he could really go this time of night to think, and as the engine roared to life, he pulled away from Kiba's house with only that place in mind as he drove. He needed to clear his head, needed to sort things out. Above all else he needed time to himself where the ghosts of his past wouldn't haunt him.

* * *

The next chapter is in progress, but I've hit a wall. I also think it may move too fast, but for the life of me, I can't figure out how to fix it. I would blame it on the alcohol, but Sasuke DROVE so he wasn't drunk. When thinking of the party I had originally planned on him noticing the letter and SKIPPING the party, but then that little drunk!Naru bunny bit me and I had to have him go. Then I wanted to have him get really drunk, but then I remembered that he had to drive off...and that the next part (which I'd written beforehand) did not have him acting drunk, so I couldn't have done that unless I rewrote the entire segment (which I'd already done once since I lost it to a power outage). Suffice to say, I may have Sasuke get drunk in the proximity of Naruto in the future of this story just to get that bunny out of the way.

ENJOY! REVIEW! 


	4. It's Time we met and Made a Mess

I just posted a journal on Y!Gallery about how I was stuck on this chapter, and then I turned the music on and PLOP! Out it came, all over notepad.

Fancy that!

* * *

Sasuke stepped out of his car, immediately feeling the sea breeze wash over him, already calming his frazzled nerves. His hands had shaken for half the drive, but the farther he'd gotten away from Naruto and the confusion that surrounded the blond, the better he'd felt. 

Locking the doors with the push of a button and a quiet beep, he shoved his keys and his hands in his pockets, head down and lost in the thoughts he was trying to get rid of even now. He didn't see the other person on the pier until his shoulder bumped rather hard into them, stumbling in his surprise and only managing not to fall into the frigid water by the grace of God and the hand that gripped his wrist forcefully.

Sure that he was steady, the hand (warm and cold at the same time) released him, leaving a tingling feeling from the skin on skin contact, and when Sasuke lifted his gaze to see who had just nearly caused his impromptu swim and subsequently saved him from said swim, the words died on the tip of his tongue.

The man that he'd bumped into was stupidly beautiful, practically dripping a fluid and intense kind of power as easily as if it were perfectly natural. He couldn't find a single flaw in that face, not even the shadowed lines on the man's cheeks seemed out of place on him. As he noticed pale lips slowly curve upward in some semblance of a smirk (because it couldn't be a grin, the word just didn't fit it), he realized he'd been staring, and immediately backed off a step, only to almost stumble off the edge of the pier again.

That strong hand gripped his wrist again, and this time he found himself tugged against a solid chest, something murmured above him (voice like liquid fire and silk in his ears and over his skin that sent a shiver down his spine) that didn't quite sink in for a moment in his embarassment.

Forcing his emotions down, everything started to fall into place, however, and he tried to shove the man away.

_'I didn't expect to find you here, Sasuke...'_

"Let me _go_!" he growled, struggling in the grip that didn't seem to want to release him. "You're that guy from the subway the other day! You werewatching me!" he hissed, digging short, blunt nails into the man's forearms through the thin silk shirt he wore.

"You're a fucking _stalker!_" he spat, finally managing to wrench himself from the grip that had slowly loosened as he spoke. "Who the hell are you?!"

He watched as a cascade of emotions flickered briefly in obsidian eyes before suddenly they became closed off like the slamming of a door. "You don't remember..." that voice spoke, without enough inflection for him to tell just what the man was feeling.

"It's been no more than five years and you don't remember me at all... _They_ did this to you," the man almost spat out the word 'they', and Sasuke could almost feel the disgust for whoever 'they' were. Again, the man moved toward him, and he was tugged close again, frozen at the touch of fingertips on his cheek, brushing a strand of hair from his face. "They made you forget, but I'll make you remember," were the words breathed against his skin, a warmth in the chill of the evening and the sea breeze.

"What are you-" Lips pressed firmly against his, and his head spun, a warm tongue slid past his defenses and he felt his knees start to weaken. He couldn't think to question that he didn't even know this man that was kissing him, who had _stalked_ him, who knew his name and where he lived (_Itachi_ was what the letter had said, that had to have been from him, he was certainly cunning as a weasel), because the feel of it was overwhelming him. It felt like this was something that had been missing for a long, long time now, and as suddenly as it had started, it was gone.

Fighting to catch his breath, Sasuke took a step back again, even though his body felt as though it wanted to collapse in this stranger's arms. Distance was safe, kissing a stalker on the pier in the middle of the night was not safe. He tried to calm his swiftly beating heart and steady his legs, finally looking back up at the man and asking again, "Who are you?"

"Someone you should know quite well," came the calm answer, to which he clenched his fists and opened his mouth on a retort about how that didn't even answer his question, only to be interrupted again by a card shoved in his face and the other's words.

"Uchiha Itachi," the man said, the hint of a Japanese accent lining the words, and it felt like coming out of a trance. He blinked once, twice, and when he looked up from the card in his hand, he was alone on the pier, wondering just how long he'd been standing there staring at the stiff piece of paper with its neat printed letters and an elegantly scrawled 'I'll be in touch, but do call' in the upper right corner.

Something felt a little different, a little clearer, but he couldn't pinpoint just what it was. Feeling lightheaded and just a little out of it, he made his way back to his car, taking three tries to get the door open (on one of which he managed to push the panic button) and missing the buckle on his seatbelt at least as many times before it clicked into place.

He tried to start the engine while it was already running a few times before he realized his mistake, backing out of his parking space and heading back toward home with just as many questions as he'd had when he arrived, though now they were all of a completely different nature.

---------------

Sasuke woke to the sound of the landline ringing, groaning at how bad his back felt from passing out on the couch the night before. He barely remembered making it home, and he was sure that it had been well past midnight when he had flopped down on the couch and promptly fallen asleep.

He heard the answering machine pick up and a bad recording of his voice declaring to the caller that "I can't make it to the phone right now, or I'm not here. If you're a telemarketer, shove it up your ass, anyone else leave a message." He inwardly cringed at the fact that it had been the same for the past two years, and he'd implimented that one once he'd realized that it just depressed him every time the one of his mother played. He'd gotten a few scolding messages from distant relatives about it after that, but they'd long since left him alone.

He rolled over and curled around one of the couch pillows, hoping that the caller would just hang up, but unfortunately, instead of a click and a beep from his answering machine to tell him the caller had done just that, the most grating voice possible came over the speaker.

"_Hey, Sasuke, wake up you bastard!_"

Sasuke just groaned, rolling into a sitting position and rubbing at his eyes, hoping Naruto would hang up soon.

"_Hey, listen... um... About last night..._"

Oh, great. _Exactly_ what he didn't want to think about.

"_I... I'm sorry. Hey Sasuke, are you there? Please pick up, I really am sorry! God you can even call me a moron, I know I deserve it! Please just pick up, Sasuke..._"

Heaving a sigh, he stood up from the couch, moving toward the bar where the only house phone was located, hesitating with his hand over the receiver.

"_Sasuke, please... I just... I'm so sorry, I know I shouldn't have done that, I... Y'know I... You're probably not there, so sorry for leaving a long message just call me back, okay? I'm so-_"

"It's fine, Naruto," he cut the blond off, receiver cradled against his shoulder as he leaned against the counter.

"_Sasuke!_"

"I said it's fine, don't worry about it, you were drunk, I overreacted," he offered, wondering what he was going to have for breakfast as he checked the time on the coffee pot. _9:57_. After a moment of silence, he was starting to worry that Naruto had hung up, and he was about to ask if he was still there when a relieved sigh came over the line.

"_I really am sorry,_" Naruto's voice told him, yet again, but even over the crappy phone line he could practically hear the tension and worry the blond was feeling just fade away. "_Hey, you wanna hang out today? I'll buy lunch! We can go see that new horror movie they've got playing at the Cinemark downtown!_"

Rolling the idea over in his head for a bit, Sasuke nodded to nobody. "Yeah, sure," he answered, remembering what had happened last night after he'd left the party and realizing that a distraction was exactly what he needed. "Meet me over here about eleven."

"_Alright! You better have a place to eat in mind, cause if you don't we're going to that sushi bar that serves that awesome ramen and you can pay for your own damn sushi!_" He imagined Naruto pumping his arm in the air in a sign of victory, letting a slight smile tug at the corners of his lips.

"You'd better dress decently, idiot," he shot back, just to hear the blond's indignant squawk about how his fashion sense was _'just fine, asshole!'_, before muttering a 'see you then' and hanging up.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the card the man had given him last night, flipping it over in his fingers. His eyes absently scanned the small text and the elegant handwriting before, with the memory of lips and tongue and coldhot skin and depthless eyes, he slammed it down on the bar in frustration. By the time he got back from spending a day with his best friend, the ceiling would know everything that tiny card had to offer about the negotiator who, by chance or something else, was simply listed as 'Itachi', but who apparently was some relative of his he didn't even know.

* * *

Well hey there. Been a little bit, huh? Hope you and the review button get to know each other a little! Let me know how you think things are flowing. I think I've got it down now, but I'd like some input, really, since I'm still not sure if it's moving too fast. Hope you enjoy! The next chapter might take a while, too, since I only have a vague idea for it and it'll have a lot to do with characters I'm not so confident writing. 


	5. Out There and Sober

OH HEY YES I DO STILL EXIST AND AM STILL WORKING ON THIS. I'm a little ashamed to say that I procrastinated and avoided working on this chapter for...how long has it been now? Until today. And then wrote it all out in about two hours.

I'm sorry! But this is the first time I've even written Kisame, and I don't often write for Itachi, so doing something centered completely on them was a little hard to get myself into doing.

For those who are wondering, Itachi does business negotiations for a rather large and unnamed global company, and has, as you will see, some rather questionably legal side jobs that he does with Kisame. 8D

Hopefully the next chapter will be out quicker, since I have part of it written already!

* * *

Itachi's lips were drawn down in a nearly imperceptible frown, and yet again he checked his watch, pen snapping down sharply against the table in front of him. Kisame was _late_. his rather fearsome sometimes-colleague had been the one to call this meeting in the first place, and he was _late_.

He had better things to be doing with his time than waiting on a potential job, especially when he had made it perfectly clear to h is employers that he would be _on vacation_. He completed his jobs in a timely and professional (well, most of the time) manner, and was one of the best in the business world. They couldn't deny him a vacation, no matter how long he took, because they simply couldn't afford to fire him, and he knew it as well as they did.

So _why_, he asked himself, did he receive a call from Kisame this morning that basically consisted of, "Hey, I've got a job I need your help with, don't worry, it's in town, I got your current location, so I'll be there at ten." Even Kisame, w ho was only unofficially hired by the company, should have known perfectly well that _he was busy_.

A knock on the hotel room door drew him out of his thoughts, a nd he rose from his chair, stalking with the grace of a panther and about as much deadly intent to the door and opening it to reveal his sometimes-partner, who somehow managed to make genuine Armani look about as rough and stupidly casual as a pair of ripped up jeans and a grungy t-shirt.

"Hey, Itachi, I know you're on vacation and all, so sorry about interrupting-" Kisame began, only to be cut off by a particularly deadly look from the shorter man. His grin was sharp and apologetic at the same time, and when Itachi stepped aside, he moved into the room, heading straight for the kitchenette and the mini bar.

"So I guess it's right down to business, then, just like usual," he commented, filling the tense silence as if the aura of malcontent coming from Itachi was just rolling right off of him (and it really was, he was too used to his sometimes-partner's demeanor by now). "It's urgent business, see," he said, over the clink of crystal glasses and the sound of liquid sloshing into one. "They put me on it because they figured the guy would bolt, and he has. He's hiding out here, but not good enough, got the address and the details here," he tossed a manila envelope across the bar and onto the table Itachi was once again sitting at.

The younger man deftly flipped the envelope open, pulling out the paperwork and scanning it quickly. Upon reaching the end (and the price tag), his dark eyes snapped up to the tall man across the room. "A five hundred thousand dollar job? I take it they truly do believe not even I can convince him to reconsider?" A nod confirmed it, and he placed the papers back into the envelope.

"Then why interrupt my vacation, if they're already convinced he needs to be silenced?" The glare he sent towards the man was chilling.

"Well," Kisame said, that sharp, sharp grin back in place as he answered simply, "they wanted a clean job. You know I'm no good at clean."

------------

"So what exactly are you doing out here anyway?" Kisame asked, making an attempt at a conversation that _wasn't_ going to end up one-sided, ashing his cigarette out the window before it was snatched from his fingers by Itachi.

The younger man didn't usually smoke, he'd found out through observation and a little digging on his own, but he would before a job, though Kisame didn't understand the point of doing it just every so often.

"You should know better than to intrude in my private matters, Kisame," was the response he got for his troubles, and he leaned back a little more in his seat.

"Come on, I want to know what makes you, of all people, just up and leave with hardly any notice to go on a vacation halfway across the northeast." He glanced over at the man next to him in the driver's seat to catch just the briefest change in Itachi's expression, before glancing out at the line of rosebushes they were parked next to, bored with the wait. "You used to be part of that snooty Uchiha family, right? Those Japanese one-nobles? I heard there's one that lives here in this city, some kid still in school living by himself," he added, conversationally, looking back to see his partner's expression just a little darker than it was before. It was, after all, extremely guarded information. Almost nobody knew or could find any information on Itachi's past and origins that wasn't fake, but Kisame was just that good at his job.

"He's here," was the only warning he received before Itachi was out of the car and their target was slammed against the hood, gag already in place so he couldn't scream. Man, the kid was _fast_.

------------

Itachi had to commend Kisame on coming up with the idea to take the man onto a private boat handled by the company. At least this way, if he couldn't bring the man around, they could sail as far as fuel would take them in order to dump the body where nobody would be able to find it.

Getting tired of listeing to the muffled groans from across the cabin, and satisfied Kisame had taken them out far enough that nobody would hear the man, he moved to remove the gag. He earned a string of unintelligible curses and threats for his efforts, which was silenced quickly enough when he upturned the man's chair and delivered a well placed kick to his captive's chin.

He had to reason that at least blood didn't stain too badly on black, but it irritated him that he would likely have to arrange for a cleanup once he was done. The dirty part of his job always had a certain kind of satisfaction from it, but at the same time, it was often more trouble than he wanted to go through.

"I'm sure you know why you're here," he said, voice flat. "I believe we have some things to discuss that you seem hesitant to accept. I hope that by the time we're done here, you will come away from our encounter enlightened to your faults."

The man was silent, aside from his rapid breaths, and Itachi almost smiled at the way his captive twitched when he heard a switchblade being flicked open. Perhaps today wouldn't be such a waste. After all, this type of negotiation really did suit him better.

------------

It was much, much later that day that their ship returned to port, sans one passenger, a length of steel cable, a switchblade, one Armani suit, a pair of gloves, a spare anchor, and two gallons of floor cleaner.

Itachi agreed to split the pay with Kisame fifty-fifty, even though he'd done most of the dirty work. He considered what wasn't gained in monetary value was gained in stress relief, and left it at that, parting ways again with his partner in crime after another successful business meeting considerably more relaxed than he had been upon waking up.

A drink before bed would help him relax even further, along with a soak in his hotel suite's massive spa-style tub to wash away any remaining blood he might've missed on the boat. He hardly lamented over the loss of his suit, seeing as the payment would easily take care of the replacement costs.

The only thing that bothered him was the fact that Sasuke hadn't called today, but then, there was always tomorrow, and if the boy took too long, he would just have to give him a bit more incentive.

* * *

Okay, that came out a little better than I'd expected, even if it did take me however long to actually get around to writing it. Hope you leave a review after reading! Let me know how I did with the characters, since they're not usually who I write for


	6. I Need you Now

This happened like... the same day as chapter four, I was just debating whether or not I should post it up so soon.

FOR ALL OF YOU WHO READ THIS FOR SEX... Well there's masturbation in this chapter! And the sex is coming up! For the rest of you? There's also more plot!

I would also like to take this time to thank **Ksuhi** in front of everybody, because that review seriously made my night. Thank you again! (I got your reply, as well, and I'm glad to have made your night, too!)

ONWARD!

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Sasuke idly drummed his fingers on the bar, staring at the business card that still sat there and resting his chin on his other hand. The day out with Naruto had been fun, even if the movie had been _terrible_. The blond had clung to him about halfway through, practically squealing like some frightened girl at every little thing. Even still...

He'd woken up from yet another one of his recurring dreams early on in the morning, but this time, he'd actually remembered parts of it. Just thinking back on it, he remembered the other night at the pier, coldhot touch and Itachi's lips on his, and he had to fight down his body's reaction.

That was it, there were too many questions that needed answering, and he was going to get the answers from someone who knew. He picked up the phone, hesitating as his eyes scanned the card, and then dialed the number.

------------

Itachi's eyes paused in their trek across the pages of a book as his cell phone rang on the nightstand, and he reached over, checking the number. His lips twitched upward, a slow and minute semblance of a smirk and he flipped the phone open, folding his reading glasses and putting them in the phone's place.

"Sasuke... To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?"

Silence on the other end of the line in which he could almost hear the boy's breath hitch, and he slid his bookmark between the pages and set his book aside. This, after all, would be far more interesting.

"_We need to talk,_" the familiar voice finally said over the line, and he reached over to grab his glass of water and take a sip.

"I agree," he answered, setting the glass back down and sliding off the bed, "but don't you think it would be more appropriate if we had this discussion in person?"

Again, a pause, surely in which Sasuke was calculating the risks and benefits of such an encounter, and then, "_Fine._"

He moved over to the mini-closet, looking through the clothes he'd brought for something appropriate. "Dinner, then, six thirty sharp. I have a restaurant in mind, and I could pick you up at your flat."

More hesitation, Sasuke certainly had become the calculating type in the years he'd missed him. "_Alright. I'll see you then._"

"Oh, and I hope you have something appropriate to wear. Business casual," he commented. "I'll pick you up at six." And without waiting for a response, because he knew Sasuke would come, he snapped the phone shut, pulling a few articles of clothing out of the closet and laying them out on the bed. Today had just gotten much, much better.

------------

Sasuke sighed, leaning heavily against the counter for a moment before pushing himself away from it and making his way to the bathroom. It was still early, not even four, but he was sure he would need the extra time in the shower and after it to calm his nerves.

As the water rained down on him, he tried to think about it rationally. It was a public place, so Itachi couldn't do anything. It was dinner, and it was questions and it was answers. But he found his thoughts drifting, found his dream the previous night resurfacing, found himself remembering again those lips, that tongue...

He leaned back against the shower wall, dripping hair falling into his eyes and sticking to his face, a groan catching in the back of his throat at the feeling of cool tiles against his back. The realization that he was getting hard thinking about a complete stranger, somebody he'd known and not for all of five minutes, somebody he was about to willingly submit himself to for the length of dinner at the very least, was a bit of a shock. He tried to push the images back out of his mind, tried to will his heart to stop beating faster at the mere thought of those lips on his skin, that tongue-

This time, the moan slipped past his lips unhindered, and his hand slid down his body seemingly of its own accord. He couldn't stop wondering what those hands would feel like all over him, couldn't stop thinking about the dream in which Itachi had explored and conquered him with lips, teeth, tongue, hands and more. He imagined Itachi's hands roaming his chest, and his own teased a dusky nipple.

His breath caught in his throat, hitched on a moan, hissed in as he gasped for it. His hand moved faster, and he heard that silky voice in his ear, whispering his name, commanding him to-

"_Itachi!_" spilled from his lips in a breathless cry as everything was washed away with the fall of water from the showerhead, and he sank a little down the tiled wall, burying his face in his hands and wondering just what the hell he'd gotten himself into.

------------

The car ride was uneventful and silent, somehow making Sasuke uncomfortable. He'd expected that Itachi would have tried something, but when nothing happened, he didn't know what to expect. The older man had been polite, succinct, and ridiculously well dressed, refusing to tell him where exactly they were going for dinner.

When they'd made it to the restaurant, Sasuke had suddenly felt underdressed, even in his pressed shirt and slacks. Half of the things on the menu he couldn't even pronounce, and he was relatively sure that Itachi had probably needed a reservation to get in.

Despite all the questions he had, he found that they ate in near silence, and the pompous atmosphere of the restaurant seemed to demand that they do so. Upon finishing his meal, Sasuke sipped at the wine Itachi had ordered for him, making a face and setting the glass down.

"Itachi-"

"Don't you think we should speak somewhere more private, Sasuke?" was the answer he received, and he frowned in response, again sipping at the wine.

It was dangerous, privacy. There was no telling what could happen out from under the scrutiny of the public. He was hesitant, and he was sure that Itachi noticed it, but he was also desperate for answers, and the desperation was what won out in the end.

"We'll go back to my flat," he answered, quickly downing what was left in his glass and pushing back his chair to stand when Itachi did the same. He didn't count the bills that Itachi left on the table to cover the dinner and the tip, but he knew that it wasn't cheap. After all, a restaurant where you needed a reservation and where the only thing with a price tag on the menu was the wine was bound to be expensive.

------------

By the time they reached his flat, Sasuke's hands were almost shaking. Barely managing to get the key into the lock, he pushed the door open, his upbringing leading him to let his guest in first. He followed, dropping his keys on the entry table and nudging the door shut with his foot, only to be shoved back against it no more than a second later. Itachi's lips found his, a tongue invading his mouth as he tried to protest that turned his words into a low moan.

Fisting his hands in the man's shirt, he gathered all of his willpower and managed to push him away far enough that he could _breathe_. "What... the hell..." he panted, willing his legs to stop shaking.

"I still don't even know you," he argued when Itachi started to move in again, a shiver running down his spine at the light sound he got as a response.

"You might not remember me, Sasuke, but your body does," Itachi told him, slipping one knee between his legs and brushing his fingers against his lips. "It's been five years. You've grown up..."

"What are you-" Sasuke's breath hitched as the man pressed forward, simultaneously running his tongue along the shell of his ear. He couldn't deny that everything Itachi had done so far was _good_, but despite the man's insistence that he'd known him, he still couldn't remember a thing. "I-Itachi, stop-" he swallowed a groan, pushing the other man away again and making a break for the living room. He got no more than two steps before Itachi grabbed his arm, spinning him back around and pulling him back against his chest.

"You're saying stop, but it's not what you really want, is it, Sasuke?" Itachi murmured, tangling his fingers in short, dark spikes. "You've been craving this as much as I have, you're trembling..."

Even though it was true, he reached up just as he was being drawn into another kiss, blocking Itachi with his hand. "I don't know anything about you, you just showed up and started doing... _this_," he reasoned, even though his body was betraying him every step of the way. "What do you know about me? Who are you? The business card isn't enough of an explanation"

His hand was moved out of the way, and Itachi's lips found his ear. "You always used to beg me for it, you know," he whispered, and Sasuke shuddered, the incident in the shower coming back to him full force. "Before they found out and shipped me away from you... They got rid of everything that had anything to do with me, didn't they? They're not here anymore to keep us from being together again, though. Don't question what you feel, because even if they've made your mind forget me, what you feel hasn't changed, I can tell..."

Even more confused than before, Sasuke allowed himself to be backed toward the couch, shirt falling to the floor as the backs of his knees bumped against the arm of it. Was Itachi talking about his parents? He sucked in a breath of air as the man's lips fastened themselves to the junction of his neck and shoulder, stifling a groan. Why would his parents make him forget so completely about something like this? They didn't seem to have anything against gays, even though he hadn't known he was (he hadn't really been interested in anyone, really).

He was pulled rather abruptly from his thoughts when Itachi's fingers started to undo the button on his slacks, and he barely managed to breathe out, "_Wait_..." His mind was still trying to catch up with everything that was going on, and this mysterious and, he had to admit, attractive man was really making it hard for him to do that.

"I can't think if you keep doing that," he said, again pushing Itachi back so that he had a little breathing room. "You agreed we still have a lot to talk about," he pointed out, considering the man had done hardly any talking the entire evening so far.

"Then don't," Itachi responded easily. "There will be plenty of time to talk about everything later, it's been five years since we've been together."

"No," Sasuke stated, forcing authority he didn't feel into his voice as he slipped from between Itachi and the couch, absently brushing off the front of his slacks. As hard as it was for him to resist the man's advances, he wanted _answers_. "You'll tell me what you know about me, or you'll get the hell out of my house."

When he looked back at Itachi, he didn't expect the look he received, unable to keep himself from swallowing thickly in response to it. When Itachi spoke, his suspicions about that look were confirmed.

"Let's make a game of it," the man said, the look in his eyes just short of predatory. "I give you something you want, and you give me something I want. Fair?"

For the sake of sanity, he should have said no. He should have denied the man everything and locked him out. But for the sake of the answers he'd been searching for, he found himself nodding slowly. "Fine," he answered, absently wondering how long he could keep Itachi in check. "Small rewards for small answers, if you want something bigger, you'll give me details. I decide what's fair."

The other man nodded in turn, a brief flash of amusement flickering in dark eyes. "Show me to your room and we'll begin."

"You're getting ahead of yourself," Sasuke warned, crossing his arms over his bare chest and staying put. "How did you find me?" he asked.

"By pulling strings," the other responded simply. "I'm a man of money, and I know how to use it to get what I'm looking for."

Sasuke frowned, contemplative, before dropping his arms to his sides and moving down the hall to his room, hearing the other man follow. "Make yourself comfortable," he offered, taking a seat on his bed and kicking off his shoes. He wasn't particularly surprised when he felt the other side of the bed shift behind him, but when Itachi pulled him over onto his lap, he managed to match the other's amusement with irritation. "I've seen you before, in these dreams I've been having. Why?"

Something flickered across Itachi's face, but was gone in an instant before he could read it. "It's not something I would know the answer to, but I would say it's because we were very... close in the past. Your dreams are probably of the past you can't remember."

The past he couldn't remember? Sasuke frowned again, not understanding what that meant. He remembered his past perfectly fine, though it did seem a bit patchy the further back he went, but that was normal, right? The only thing he absolutely didn't remember was the fire, and his parents had said that was because of trauma. Apparently, Itachi seemed to think he was taking too long to ponder it, however, because hands were suddenly running down his sides, and as lips fell to his shoulder again, all coherent thought skittered away momentarily.

He did his best to shake it off and focus, and managed to breathe out, "Why-" he wasn't able to finish his question as lips again found his, and a breathy moan gave Itachi the access he wanted as fingernails grazed one of his nipples. The man was making it too hard to focus, and he fought against his body's reactions to stay in control, but that control was slipping fast.

Pushing against Itachi's chest, he managed to break the kiss, though coldhot hands were still on him. "Stop," he breathed, but it held no authority or conviction, and Itachi didn't stop at all. "Whatever you want, just tell me what you know," he pleaded, because he wasn't sure just how much longer he could hold the man off or how much longer he really wanted to.

Seconds later, he found himself flat on his back, with Itachi leaning over him, whispered Japanese in his ear that made his head spin so suddenly that he didn't even register the words at first.

_"Orokanaru otouto yo..."_

_Foolish little brother..._

He felt suddenly sick, suddenly so, so sick, and he shoved against Itachi as hard as he could in order to get him away. "Get _out_," he breathed, and when the man didn't move, he repeated it, harder, sharper, and this time Itachi did stand, did turn around and exit the room.

He didn't relax until he heard the front door click shut, and when it did, he curled in on himself, frustrated, and eventually fell into a fitful sleep.

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Anomaly! Now with 100 more SHITFUCKHE'SMY_BROTHER_ANDIWANTTO_GETFUCKEDBYHIM_?!ANGST. Plz to be reviewing.


	7. A Wounded Satellite

Well hey there! Surprisingly, I did not sit and write this chapter in one go. Took a couple days, this one. Lots of real life stuff happened that drained my motivation and inspiration, so this comes to you a little later than I meant for it to.

But here it is! Have fun with this, all you SasuNaru fans, it's likely the last time Naruto shows up in this fic.

* * *

Sasuke woke early the next morning, groggy and still completely exhausted. His head felt full and heavy, and he was in no mood to brave the subway and his teachers' boring lessons. So it was that for the first time in over a year, he trudged into the kitchen, dragged down a prescription bottle dated from sometime a few months after his sixteenth birthday, and took one of the pills inside. He then trudged right back to bed, pulled the covers up over his head and proceeded to let the sleep aid do its job.

He woke again about nine hours later to a muffled, but recognizable voice and a loud knocking, feeling a bit more rested. Hearing the knocking stop, he dragged himself out of bed, still without a shirt from the night before. A glance at the clock on his nightstand had him groaning. He hadn't meant to sleep until four, and despite his lack of appetite, his stomach was still protesting having not eaten since dinner.

As he rounded the corner into the livingoom, he nearly jumped, coming face to face with Naruto (who seemed to have just let himself in upon realizing the door was still unlocked, even though Sasuke hadn't heard him).

"Jesus Christ, idiot, who just lets themselves in like that when nobody answers the door!" he snapped, still somewhat irritable after last night. It was only moderately satisfying that Naruto _did_ actually jump.

"I was worried about you, bastard! What if you were dead or something! You didn't even come to school, and I know you've always got perfect attendance so it had to be something serious! You- is that a _hickey_?"

Sasuke frowned, unconsciously reaching up to rub the mark as he pushed past Naruto and headed for the kitchen, unashamed otherwise that he was wearing nothing but a pair of dress slacks (that were riding a little bit low on his hips) in front of his best friend who had, just a little less than three days ago, tried to drunkenly molest him at a party.

Undeterred, the blond simply followed him into the kitchen. "Hey, asshole, stop ignoring me, I came all the way out here just to make sure you weren't dead or something and-" Naruto's eyes widened slightly, sentence coming to a screeching halt as Sasuke pushed him back against the fridge, face dangerously close.

"Shut up, moron," he breathed, boxing the blond in with a hand on either side of his head. He heard Naruto's breath catch as he pressed closer, felt the exhale against his lips, and closed the distance between them.

------------

Itachi stood by the overly large hotel window, dark eyes narrow and more expressive, albeit of frustration, than Kisame had ever seen them. He'd known the younger man for admittedly only two and a half years now, but he'd never, even in the trickiest of situations, seen him this worked up about anything.

_Something_ had happened. Something _was_ happening. It was something _big_, and he wanted to know _what_.

"What did that glass ever do to you, kid?" he ventured, plastering a sharp grin on his face as there was a sudden cold snap in those eyes and everything was blocked off again, only to have them shortly directed right at him in a frigid glare. "What? Come on. What's got you so broody? Was it that date you had yesterday? Reservations for two at that snazzy new joint uptown, that's not exactly low profile."

And _oh_, he must've hit a nerve, because the ice in Itachi's eyes was turning to a black, black fire. Oh, but sometimes, it was fun to play with fire. It wasn't exactly true that if you played with fire you'd get burned, after all, because if you knew exactly what you were doing with it and where your limits were, things usually were just a whole lot of fun.

"It was, wasn't it? It was that Uchiha kid, I bet. He's the only reason I can come up with that you'd even be here. Who is he, anyway? You never go out of your way for anybody if it doesn't benefit you, so this kid must have been close to you or somethin-"

The reaction was sudden, and more passionate than he'd expected. This was the part where he'd get burned; he'd always been good at figuring out and pushing Itachi's limits, but maybe this was just one subject _nobody_ touched, because before he even know what hit him, he was on the floor, wind knocked out of him and no more getting back in. A few seconds later he registered the other man's hand tight around his throat, pushing in all the right places to cut off his oxygen and his ability to make so much as a squeak.

It was Hell and fury he saw in those dark eyes, black tinging the edges of his vision, and he wondered what he must've looked like. Ready to piss himself? Nah. But he'd be lying if he said he wasn't afraid that the grip wouldn't loosen until his lips were blue and cold. As his body reflexively tried to gasp for air, he thought maybe he looked like a fish, and that maybe that Hell was what Itachi's victims always saw before the end, though he had a feeling their view was a little more sinister with a smile than this rage he was seeing now.

But before he could contemplate it further, spots danced in front of his eyes and suddenly a cold wash of air filling his lungs, and he coughed something violent as Itachi stood. The kid was ruthless, but he'd never witnessed it quite this firsthand before. Touchy subject, indeed, he reasoned, and once his vision cleared up again and he stopped feeling lightheaded, he got to his feet, noting the dead silence in the room.

"Speak of him again, or go anywhere near anything about him, and I will finish the job next time, Kisame," came the clipped deadpan from across the room, and he let his eyes again focus on Itachi's back.

Helpfully, he made his coughing way to the mini-bar, pulled some glasses down, and set to serving something hard. "You need a drink, man," he offered, carrying two glasses over to where the younger man again leant his forehead against the window and holding one out.

It was taken wordlessly, stared at calculatingly, and then downed without any preamble, a feat few knew the man capable of. Shrugging it off, however, Kisame handed Itachi the other glass as well, taking the empty one from the outstretched hand in order to get himself something to drink.

Like smoking, drinking heavily was something Itachi rarely partook in, and Kisame himself had heard the man claim it was because getting drunk not only impaired just about every sense useful to anyone (especially the sense of giving a shit, he'd pointed out, which was especially useful for those who gave a shit. Itachi had proceeded to shove him into a pool at that), but it made you stupid. Unfortunately, he mused, listening to the sound of ice crackling and settling in the glass, a drunk Itachi was actually not much different than a sober Itachi.

The only real difference was that a drunk Itachi tended to brood _more_.

------------

Naruto's mouth was warm and pliant, but hesitant, a far cry from how Itachi's had been just the night previous. Sasuke tried to shove those thoughts aside, however, and when the blond's head turned away from his, he immediately fell to the slightly tanned neck, feeling a shudder in response.

"Sasuke, what are you-" the question was cut off with a sharp intake of breath as his teeth sunk lightly into the junction of Naruto's neck and shoulder. He didn't want to give the blond time to question it, because he knew that Naruto wanted him, and he had to, _had to_, at all costs, get the feel of Itachi _off_.

He worked the buttons on his friend's shirt quickly, with a focused desperation, spreading the material as soon as the last button popped open and splaying his hands against Naruto's chest. His lips rerouted to the blond's in order to cut off another rising protest, and his hands tugged Naruto closer as he pushed forward, grinding their hips and swallowing the sound that bubbled up from the other's throat.

He could tell that the blond was fighting with himself, feeling the hands on his shoulders alternate between pushing and pulling, but he couldn't stop, not now, not when he could feel the heat rolling off of Naruto's body with the roll of his hips and the slide of their tongues. It was only once his hands slid around Naruto's hips, fingertips slipping just beneath the waistband of his pants, that the blond decided on making space between them.

Sasuke had to bite down on a growl, but moreso the wrong name that wanted to slide off of his tongue in protest. As they both caught their breath, he managed a heated glare at the blond who was holding him at arm's length, noting the unguarded emotions flooding blue, blue eyes. He tried to lean back in, to recapture Naruto's lips, but strong arms kept him away.

"What the hell is going on with you, bastard?" Naruto questioned, and Sasuke found he really didn't want to answer it, and he almost growled the blond's name in response.

"You want this, idiot, why are you resisting?" he shot back, leaning forward as much as he could and keeping the palms of his hands pressed flat against the blond's chest. He could feel the rapid heartbeat under his right palm, and he trailed his other hand down, feeling the muscles twitch under his touch.

"You're not thinking straight or something," Naruto pointed out, and he didn't want to hear it. "Sasuke, _stop it_!"

The blond placed both his hands flat against the Uchiha's chest and shoved, hard enough to send Sasuke almost crashing against the opposite counter. Naruto held his hands up defensively, backing out of the kitchen.

"Think about what you're doing," he prompted, and Sasuke stood there, partially in shock. "If you do, and you decide you really do want this, I'm all for it, but I don't think you really do. I don't know what happened to make you skip school today or anything, but I get the feeling whatever it was is why you're doing this, so just think about it," Naruto rambled, and the next thing Sasuke knew, he was alone in his kitchen, the sound of the front door closing sounding strangely hollow.

Suddenly, he felt sick with himself again, felt his eyes sting and his legs give out. Sinking to the kitchen floor, he dug the heels of his palms into his eyes, clenching his teeth and trying to steady his breathing.

"Why am I such an idiot?" he asked the empty flat, only hearing the tick of the antique clock in the hall in response and feeling more overwhelmed than he had since he got the call from the police that his parents' jet had crashed.

Why did things have to be so complicated? Why did he have to _make_ things so complicated? Why _Itachi_?

A strangled sound escaped him, and more than ever in his life he felt so, horribly, _weak_. He already had the feeling that he wasn't going to sleep tonight, and by eleven thirty, he _knew_ he wouldn't sleep until dawn.

------------

Across town, in that same high-end hotel suite, sitting comfortably in the same chair near the window, Uchiha Itachi, despite having gotten more drunk than he had in quite some time just earlier that day, was sharing his little brother's sleepless night.

He could already feel the hangover coming on, and the caffeine in the painkillers he'd taken to stop it before it started was doing nothing to help his natural insomnia.

Watching as the neon clusters far below blurred in his vision, he settled in for a long, long night.

* * *

The good news for you guys? The next chapter is the _sex chapter_. Look forward to it, and don't forget to review!

Also, I'd like to ask any and all who have read this story this far... Any of you have any clue what's going on with Sasuke? I assure you, everything will be revealed in the last chapter, but I want to see if any of you have caught any of the hints I've dropped.


	8. Put me Back Together, Make me Right

OH HAY. I finally finished this. It sat half done for a week or two, I am ashamed to admit, because of Real Life Issues, but tonight I cranked out the rest of it.

Right now I'm not sure how I feel about the sex scene, but I'm posting it anyway, even though I am tired as all fuck.

ENJOY YOUR SEX BECAUSE THAT IS ABOUT ALL THERE IS IN THIS CHAPTER.

Also again, thanks to everyone so far who has watched, reviewed, and favorited this story. We're on the home stretch now! I'd also like to note that none of you have figured out what's up with Sasuke's amnesia yet. Maybe it's just a really obscure idea and you'll all think it's stupid.

* * *

It was four thirty the next afternoon when Sasuke realized there was no stopping it. He hadn't slept a wink the night previous, his alarm for school going off just as he was about to close his eyes. He'd gotten up, had a cup of coffee, and gone to school. He'd slept through class, gotten plenty of worried looks from teachers, and had been eventually sent home sick.

He didn't remember most of the day because all he'd been thinking about was _Itachi._

He paced the livingroom, still unable to get the man who claimed to be his brother (who he _knew_, somehow, to be his brother, even though up until their last encounter he would've sworn up and down that he was an only child since birth) out of his head. He had the phone in his hand, the number dialed before he even knew what he was doing, and as if the ringing over the line snapped him out of his stupor, his breath caught in his throat.

There was never any stopping it. Not from the moment he laid eyes on the man was there ever any stopping it.

------------

His usually impeccably neat hair was slightly tousled, his hands white-knuckled on the steering wheel as he dodged traffic, his patience tried. When his phone rang, he almost blocked the call before realizing just who was calling. Pulling up at a red light, he picked up, smoothing his nerves and relaxing his grip on the wheel.

"Sasuke..."

He heard the shuddered intake of breath across the line, the pause that followed, the silence thick even over the phone, and then-

"_I need you..._"

His fingers tightened again on the wheel, but for an entirely different reason. He'd already been on his way to the teen's flat, intent on getting exactly what he was due, and to have Sasuke call him just to-

"_Please, just come over..._"

-beg him to do just that... The stress he'd been feeling drained away, replaced with an entirely different kind of tension, right alongside something dark and playful.

"_Itachi-_"

"I'll be there in about fifteen minutes," he answered, cutting the boy off and hearing the exhale against the receiver and letting the slightest of smirks twitch up the corners of his lips. "Tell me what you're wearing, Sasuke..."

A choked sound, and then, "_W-what?_"

He took a left, knowing full well he would be there sooner than fifteen minutes. "I want to know what I'll have the pleasure of stripping you of before I arrive."

Again, a pause. "_My school uniform._"

"Unbutton it. No arguments, either. If you don't, you're going to need a new shirt."

------------

A shiver ran down his spine at Itachi's words, and Sasuke swallowed thickly before complying, fumbling awkwardly with the buttons using his free hand until he gave up, cradling the phone against his shoulder in order to use both hands. He'd only gotten about half of them undone before the man's voice filtered through the phone again. His hands shook.

"_Touch yourself..._" was the low order this time, and as he opened his mouth to question, he was cut off by, "_Do it,_" the command in the voice more than he could argue with.

He took the phone in hand again, shoulder cramping up, and trailed his free hand shakily up the exposed skin of his chest. The slightly wrinkled dress shirt slipped off his shoulder, and he sucked in a breath as his dragging nails scraped across a nipple.

"_Sasuke..._"

He shuddered at the tone of voice, low and raw, and he sunk back against the counter, eyes half lidded as he twisted the nub between his fingers, letting out the breath he'd sucked in seconds ago in an airy almost-moan. He heard shifting on the other end of the line, but didn't pay much attention to it until he heard a car door slam and the beep of a remote door lock, followed by the echo of hurried footsteps.

"Itachi-"

"_Is your shirt unbuttoned yet?_"

He looked down, groaning, and reluctantly moved his hand from his chest to finish unbuttoning his shirt. Again, he fumbled with it, but this time managed to get the buttons undone with just one hand before-

"_Get the door, Sasuke._"

Hands shaking slightly again, he dropped the phone, moving quickly to the door.

It seemed that the second the lock clicked open, Itachi was on him, fire spreading from the man's hands on his chest as he was pushed back against the entryway wall. He barely registered the door being shut and locked again through the lips that seemed keen on devouring him, a hot, hot tongue slipping past his lax defenses and stealing the breath from his lungs and _God_ he was _so hard_.

His back arched as Itachi's fingers found his previously abused nipple, and his head fell back, the kiss broken only for the man's lips to fasten over the fading bruise on his neck to remake it, dragging a moan up out of his throat.

Before he knew it, his shirt was on the floor, and he gripped at Itachi's, trying to work the buttons even as a strong thigh worked itself between his legs and rubbed. A broken form of the man's name fell from his lips as his hips jerked forward, only to fall apart into something close to a whimper as the friction left as quickly as it came.

"_Sasuke..._" was a low, hot breath against his ear that rushed straight south, and he answered in turn, managing to get Itachi's shirt open enough to get his hands inside.

He heard the scatter of buttons across the tiled entryway floor and for a split second, he inwardly called Itachi a hypocrite before the shirt was off and the older man's lips found his again, followed by a slow, agonizing grind of hips against hips.

They could have been there for hours or minutes, and Sasuke wouldn't have been able to tell the difference, but at some point, Itachi was leading them toward the bedroom, and at some point down the hall, he lost his pants, and at some point between then and the time he felt his back hit the mattress, they'd both become very, very naked, and he really didn't care when or how.

Lips and tongue and teeth trailed a path of fire across his chest and his back arched, his hands tearing loose the tie that held back Itachi's hair and his fingers threading into the loosened strands.

"I want you," he repeated, now that the man was here and tangible, and his voice was rough with lust that he saw mirrored in the dark eyes that snapped up to lock with his. He tugged a little at the older man's hair and Itachi complied, moving back up his body to again latch onto his lips. As hips ground roughly down against his own, his moan was swallowed up, and his grip tightened in Itachi's hair.

He could get lost in that mouth, in that tongue that was shoved so far down his throat he was almost breathing it. It was so distracting that he didn't even realize Itachi had gone for the lube until one slick finger pushed its way inside of him and he had to break the kiss in favor of a startled gasp. The man on top of him was relentless, though, and even as he started to squirm teeth sunk perfectly into his shoulder, causing him to go absolutely boneless, a strangled sound of mixed pain and pleasure escaping his throat.

A second finger was added shortly after, and as he stiffened again, Itachi ran his tongue over the spot still wedged between his teeth and he'd liked to have just come right then, hips rocking back sharply against the fingers inside him. Everything felt so familiar and foreign at the same time, and his head was spinning. When the third finger was added he winced, but the pain faded quickly in the face of a blinding pleasure that jolted over him, dragging a curse from his lips and making him see stars.

_God_ he wanted to feel that again, and his eyes stared half-lidded and unfocused at the ceiling of his bedroom as he rocked his hips, riding Itachi's fingers and trying to find-

"_Fuck!_" he cried out, breathless, and only when the faintest wince reached his ears did he realize he'd been gripping the older man's hair too tight. Hips still moving of their own accord, he tried to give an apologetic look, but the predatory gleam in Itachi's eyes told him it was probably nothing short of near abandon.

He fought to keep down the whimper that wanted to escape as the other's fingers slipped out of him, but it still came out as something close to a bereft sigh, and he barely caught the smirk that flitted across Itachi's lips as his name fell from them.

"_Now,_" Sasuke breathed, and Itachi wasted no time sinking into him fully in one quick thrust, tearing a strangled sound from his lips at the pain as he wriggled his hips to try and get comfortable, drawing a quiet sound from the other's lips as well.

"Sasuke-"

"_Move_," he demanded, impatient and nearly desperate as he awkwardly rocked his hips back against Itachi's, spurring the older man to a quick and brutal pace. Pain subsided into pleasure quickly enough, and with a slight change of angle he was practically screaming the other's name to the ceiling, blunt nails digging into pale shoulders as Itachi's quickened breaths and quiet sounds fanned hot against his neck and ear.

He felt like it had been forever since he'd felt this complete, and he clung to the man atop him like his life depended on it, calling his name like a broken mantra as pleasure blazed up his spine and skittered across every nerve. The mere sound of Itachi's voice brokenly uttering his name in his ear sent him that much closer to the edge, and he didn't think he was going to last long at this rate, not with it _this good_, not when Itachi was pounding into him this hard, hitting that spot each time that made his vision white out.

Sasuke felt the heat coiling tight in his gut, knew he must've been shaking by then, and knew he was close. When Itachi reached down between them to grip his neglected arousal, all it took was a heated whisper of '_Come for me, Sasuke..._' and one firm stroke for him to fall over the edge, a choked sound that vaguely resembled a chunk of the man's name falling from his lips as he felt for all the world like he'd just had the wind knocked out of him.

The last thing he registered was a shuddering jerk from above him and warmth flooding him, a tight groan of his name reaching his ears before everything went dark.

* * *

Alright, still with me, guys? Good! Drop a review and let me know how you liked this! Also let me know if you have any new ideas as to WHAT IS UP WITH SASUKE FORGETTING ITACHI.

Also, also, next chapter is the big reveal! Everything is uncovered in the next chapter, and after that, all that's left is the epilogue! I'm really proud of how this has come along so far.


	9. Defragmenting the Attic

So guys, here we are. Shockingly, I woke this morning to find myself with eight reviews on chapter seven, and it encouraged me to write this final chapter (and the epilogue, but that comes later, even though it isn't much) today.

I wrote sections off and on for about nine or so hours.

Final play count for Anna Molly by Incubus (the namesake and inspiration for this fic) in iTunes alone was 847. This does not include the times I put it on repeat and played it on my iPod. I'm kind of disappointed. I was hoping it would reach 1,000!

If you haven't listened to the song/heard it before, I suggest you do so, even if it's just watching the music video on YouTube.

A few notes ahead of time:  
1. This chapter is made of flashback. It is not necessary to read this chapter, per se, but it has a lot of important information (and a few semi-sex scenes, I might add), and is actually pretty relevant should you actually care what's going on with Sasuke's past and his amnesia and why Itachi was gone. It's good, so please do read it.  
2. The Japanese Sasuke uses is just a remnant of when he used to speak Japanese all the time back when the family lived in Japan. It's not there to be weeaboo, and even he grows out of it.  
3. There are quite a few jumps in this chapter, however, as previously stated, it's kind of a history, so it IS linear, and I hope it isn't confusing.  
4. THERE IS AN IMPORTANT NOTE AT THE BOTTOM. PLEASE READ THROUGH THE AUTHOR'S NOTE AT THE BOTTOM. (Especially if your name is demona013 or Light is Gay!)

That said, ENJOY THE QUICK POSTING. These things happen when people feed me praise. I get incredibly giddy and then feel encouraged. It's good, really. I wouldn't stop writing if I didn't get reviews, it just wouldn't happen as fast.

* * *

Sasuke couldn't help but crack a smile, one of those brilliant, innocent smiles only a child could manage. His brother was giving him a piggy-back ride, after all, and there wasn't much better in the world than his brother paying attention to him.

"Hey, can we stop by the store on the way home and get some fresh tomatoes?" he asked, clinging his little arms tight around Itachi's shoulders and nuzzling into the older boy's warm back, the smile refusing to go away.

Itachi turned his head, pace unchanging, and let the slightest hint of a smile grace his own lips; Sasuke's enthusiasm was almost infectious, after all. "Alright, but only if you promise to get a bath when you're done eating," he answered, causing the smile to widen even further and the grip on his shoulders to tighten even more.

"I love you, Itachi-nii!"

------------

"Why do people kiss?" he'd asked, full of a healthy curiosity and want to learn at the age of ten. "I asked Okaa-san, and she got this funny look on her face for a second before she told me it was because they love each other, but my friend at school told me that people kiss because it feels good."

Itachi looked up from the book he'd been studying, an indiscernible look on his face that made Sasuke a bit uncomfortable, though stubbornly he stood his ground.

"Why do you want to know, Sasuke?" the older brother had asked, putting down his pencil and scooting his chair back from the table a bit.

"Because!" he said, frowning. "If it's because they love each other, why don't we kiss?" Only ten, he was confused at the way Itachi's eyes darkened the slightest bit at the question, and he shifted on the balls of his feet, too nervous all of a sudden to stay still for too long.

"I'll tell you when you're older," Itachi had responded finally, much to his disappointment. Being so ignorant, he didn't realize the level of control his brother had over himself in that moment as he stood from his chair and walked out of the room.

------------

Itachi had been walking him home from school that day, which he inwardly enjoyed even though he always acted like he was a big boy and he didn't need to be escorted everywhere. The rain had hit suddenly, drenching them in the downpour as they ran for shelter.

"Father's going to be angry," Itachi said to him, looking mildly affronted at his dripping hair and yet slightly uncomfortable at the same time. Sasuke didn't quite fully understand why his brother moved away each time their elbows so much as brushed, but he wondered at it.

The rain just wasn't letting up, and he was cold. He knew Itachi might be upset with him for doing it, but he grabbed the older boy by the jacket and tugged him closer, pressing himself against his brother's front to try and keep them both warm. As he suspected, Itachi stiffened, and he looked up, about to apologize, when the look in his brother's eyes reminded him of the conversation they'd had several times over the past two and a half years.

"Itachi," he said, quietly, watching as a drip of water fell down one of the strands of dark hair plastered to the older boy's face, his eyes following it as it pooled at the corner of his brother's lips. After a short moment, he watched as Itachi's tongue slipped out just enough to catch the droplet, his eyes riveted to the spot as if in a trance.

"Kiss me," he said, all but demanded, and he stumbled a little when Itachi pushed against him, causing his shoulders to press a little uncomfortably against the brick wall behind him. He was going to protest being pushed away and not told again, but as he opened his mouth to, Itachi moved in.

His breath caught in his throat as the same tongue that had gathered the drop of water from the corner of his brother's lips slid out to lick away a drop that fell down his own cheek. "You don't know what you're asking me to do, Sasuke," Itachi murmured quietly, and he felt frustration boil up inside him. He wasn't stupid, he knew that kissing was supposed to be something boys and girls did together when they liked each other. His friends weren't exactly innocent either, after all.

"Yes, I do," he answered, conviction in his twelve and a half year old eyes as he stared his brother down. "I want you to kiss me."

And then lips pressed against his, damp flesh sliding against damp flesh before Itachi's hands found his shoulders and seemed to use his grip as leverage to push himself back and away. It had felt... _good_, but he was still irritated, because he knew his brother had held back.

"Do it again," he breathed, leaning forward and clutching Itachi's uniform jacket. He almost sighed out when the older boy complied, tugging him closer and pressing their lips even more firmly together, so hard that it almost hurt. He did suck in a breath when Itachi's tongue pressed against his lips, allowing the older boy entrance to his mouth which was taken immediately. Now _this_ felt _even better_, and a noise that was foreign to him bubbled up in the back of his throat and spilled into his brother's mouth as his tongue was coaxed into play.

Somehow, the noise caused Itachi to back off, and he wondered if he'd done something wrong by making it, but soon he was being tugged along by the arm, through the rain again towards home. When then got there, there was his mother to fuss over him and his father to give them both scornful glances, and within minutes, Itachi had disappeared for the rest of the night.

------------

"I don't want anyone else to touch me like you do," he breathed, head tilted back as Itachi's mouth trailed down his throat, teasing. His brother's name fell jerkily from his lips as teeth closed lightly over his shoulder, and his boxer-clad hips jerked forward against Itach's bare stomach.

"_Please,_" he moaned, as lithe fingers traced down his chest and a skillful tongue slid over the sensitive bite mark on his shoulder, causing a shudder to rip down the length of his body. His hips rolled against the palm that was suddenly _right there_ over him, and he sucked in a shuddering breath.

_Oh god, what you do to me, nobody else ever could._

------------

A chill down his spine, back arching almost painfully as Itachi found that spot inside him and teased it mercilessly, drawing a low and breathy moan from his lips to the tune of his brother's name. He cracked his eyes open, wanting to see Itachi over him as that firm, knowing hand stroked him closer and closer, the name falling again from his lips. So close, he was _so close_ and-

A shrill, shocked scream pierced the air, recognizable as his mother's, and he felt Itachi pull back away from him at the sound of hurried and heavy footsteps before their father joined their mother in the bedroom doorway.

He wanted to cling to his brother, but as he watched the older boy pull on his pants to the tune of their father's livid, disgusted yelling (_What is the MEANING of this!_), he could only reach over to grab the sheet and save what dignity he had left by covering his quickly fading arousal.

His heart felt like it was caught in a vicegrip, stomach falling out completely and at the same time churning sick with dread. He clutched the sheets white-knuckled as his brother spoke.

"Mother. Father," he addressed them each in turn, seeming far too calm for having just been caught having sex with his own little brother, even though Sasuke could tell his voice was strained.

He watched the negative emotions transform his father's face into something horrifying, something awful, settling finally into pure rage.

"Get _out_," he said, voice dangerously tight, even as his mother, who had finally gotten over her immediate shock, rushed to his side, pulling him into her overprotective (smothering) embrace like he was some _child_.

"Oh, Sasuke..." she breathed out, smoothing his hair as the tears gathered in her eyes and she buried her face in his hair, but all he was paying attention to was Itachi's back as his brother left the room, graceful as ever, unwavering, strong, and through the numb shock he felt with a sickening certainty that he would never see the man again.

As his father followed Itachi out, blocking out his brother's image and closing the door behind him, his mother broke down and cried, and for some reason, he felt the sting of bitter tears in his own eyes.

------------

Sasuke could hear them arguing, voices escalating as they continued on downstairs in the kitchen, and with each passing comment from his father, his chest tightened further, the tears threatening to come back again unbidden and unrelenting.

"He's still our _son_, Fugaku!" he heard his mother say, her usually calm voice almost reaching hysterics, and he heard something slam, presumably his father's hands on the table.

"He's no son of mine, Mikoto, I'm stripping him of our name! That child is sick, he'll have nothing to do with this family!" came his father's angry baritone, and he leaned against the wall for support, grief overtaking him until he just wanted to just scream it all out. He couldn't lose Itachi, he _couldn't_...

"Fugaku you _can't!_"

"I can, and I will, Mikoto! Sasuke is too young to know better, but that whelp of a boy is most certainly not!"

"Fugaku, please-"

"I won't hear it! He's leaving tomorrow, I won't let him spend another day under this roof!"

_Tomorrow_... Sasuke curled in on himself, simply willing the pain to go away.

------------

Mikoto couldn't be made to leave the house as Itachi was escorted down the front steps to the waiting car, but Fugaku had to hold Sasuke back from following him.

"I hate you! _I hate you!_" he screamed, jerking in his father's grasp as he watched them close the car door behind Itachi. "Why! _WHY!_" he cried, tears flowing freely down his cheeks as every fiber of his being screamed that this was it, he was going to die without his brother, his heart was simply going to give out.

They were sending him to an institution overseas, and he was never going to see him again.

As the car drove out of sight, he finally stopped struggling, simply falling to his knees as he listened to the frantic pounding of his heart breaking and his mother's sobs from the doorway.

------------

It was nearing his fourteenth birthday when his parents finally realized that maybe, just maybe they'd made a mistake. Something needed to be done, because their youngest son was barely living at all.

Sasuke went to school and did his homework mechanically, barely ate and slept when he wasn't forced to do anything else. He was getting thinner, paler, the teachers were starting to ask questions that couldn't be answered.

"We need to do something," his mother said, worried sick because she'd already lost one of her sons, how could she bear to lose the other one?

"I'll find a therapist," his father agreed, because even he was starting to worry. What would it look like for his first son to go missing, and his second son to kill himself?

Yes, something had to be done.

------------

"Now, Sasuke, this is an experimental treatment, but I assure you it's perfectly safe," the doctor said, and he nodded absently, eyes unfocused and glancing off to the side.

"There are a few failsafes. Since this is a private session, I am under contract not to tell your parents about anything you don't wish for them to know." And again, he nodded.

"We've decided that this is the best option for you to be able to pick up your life again, but I want to make absolutely sure you want to do this before we begin."

"I..." he choked, remembering again and grinding the heels of his palms against his eyes in an attempt to stop the tears. "Do it."

"Now, remember, these memories aren't going to be _erased_, they're just going to be locked away. You've expressed to me in a previous session that in the event that you find Itachi again, you want to remember him. Have you thought about the key phrases I told you about?"

He nodded, yet again, pulling his hands down and resting back in the chair. "Things nobody else will say to me, so that I don't remember unless it's him."

"Correct. Tell me them now, and we can begin the hypnosis."

------------

One day, Sasuke woke to find himself in a new room, with most of his old things in boxes as he slept on an air mattress on the floor. He blinked tired, obsidian eyes and found he couldn't remember what the hell had happened the past... well he couldn't remember a lot. He frowned, standing and stretching his stiff limbs as he wandered to the doorway, trying to figure out what was going on. This had to be some weird kind of dream, it felt surreal enough, but pinching himself didn't help, just made him more irritable.

He reached a set of stairs and descended it, finding the kitchen by the noise and the smell and a little exploration. He entered to see his mother bustling over the stove, and when she turned to him, she smiled just as brightly as ever.

"Your father's already gone to work, dear," she said, scooping some pancakes onto a plate and setting them on the table. "We'll finish getting settled today and tomorrow. School starts next week, so we'll have to get you your supplies once we're done unpacking and-"

"What... what day is it?" he asked, and for a moment, a look of worry, relief, and something else flashed across her face.

"Saturday, Sasuke, dear, you're still having trouble remembering, aren't you?" She ushered him to sit, moving the plate of steaming pancakes in front of him and putting the syrup (which he didn't touch) next to the plate as always.

"What happened? Why can't I remember?"

"There was a big fire, Sasuke, our old house burned to the ground. You were traumatized! You only just started talking again recently and the doctor said you'll make a full recovery in no time. We've got appointments set up with him, but he's back in our old hometown, so we'll have to fly out every other weekend. Eat your breakfast, dear, and we can talk while we unpack, alright?"

He remembered something about a move, vaguely, and nodded absently, picking at his food while he mulled it over. Trauma, was it? He supposed it made sense. He was only fourteen, and he didn't know a whole lot about how traumatic experiences could affect someone, but he thought it sounded reasonable enough.

------------

Despite everything his mother and father had told him, he sure didn't _feel_ traumatized. He felt perfectly fine, and he told them so, which always seemed to make his mother smile a bit wearily for a reason he couldn't figure out.

There were so many questions floating around in his head, but even after just a week of settling in to the new flat, he was already starting to forget about them. School was starting up after all, and he rode the subway with his mother to the first day of high school, despite his insistence that he could ride it just fine on his own.

He listened but didn't listen to her fuss over freshman things and to watch out for bullies, especially upperclassmen, and then she left him, thankfully, at the stop. He walked the rest of the way there with his head down, hands shoved in his pockets, shooting anyone that stopped and stared a derisive look that sent them scurrying along. He picked up his schedule and made it to his first class just fine, taking a seat somewhere near the back not for the sake of slacking off, but for the sake of being mostly alone.

He didn't pay much attention as the bell rang and the teacher started going over introductions (he thought he was done with those in middle school, christ), until he heard the door slam open. He looked up along with the rest of the class to see a hunched over orange atrocity with a messy mop of blond on top breathing heavily in the doorway. He watched the boy straighten up, eyes squinted ridiculously and his mouth stretched into a kind of grin that Sasuke just didn't understand.

"Sorry I'm late, I missed the bus!" he announced, and while everyone else tried desperately not to look at him as he made his way toward the back of the room where there were still some desks free, Sasuke didn't bother to take his eyes off the boy.

The next thing he noticed, brilliant sapphire orbs were pinning him in his place, anger swimming in their depths as the tanned boy leaned a little too close for comfort.

"What the hell are you staring at anyway, pretty boy?" the monstrosity asked, and Sasuke scoffed, features masked in indifference.

"An eyesore," he answered flatly, raising his hand as his name was called for role and raising an eyebrow slightly as the boy settled into the desk next to him, raising his own hand as his name was called directly after Sasuke's.

_Naruto Uzumaki, huh?_ he thought. _What an idiot._

------------

"Hi, Mrs. Uchiha!" Naruto waved, a charming grin plastered on his face that she couldn't help but smile at. Sasuke had made such nice friends since moving here.

The blond stepped inside, taking his shoes off in the front hall out of courtesy and making his way toward Sasuke's room upstairs, giving a brief knock before nudging the door open and dropping his backpack on the floor inside the room.

"My mother adores you," came the annoyed remark from across the room where Sasuke sat typing away on his laptop.

"What can I say, I'm easy to like," the blond answered cheekily, flopping down on the bed next to Sasuke and staring up at the ceiling. "So I figure we could just hang out and play video games for a bit and then study for finals, right? Your TV is awesome, man!"

"Yeah, whatever," Sasuke answered, shutting off the laptop and setting it to the side. They'd somehow become fast friends, he recalled, and even though they'd only known each other since school started, it felt like it had been a lot longer. He stretched a bit and made to get up, only to feel Naruto's hand encircle his wrist, keeping him in place. "What?" he said after a few moments, staring pointedly at the blond.

"I uh... have you ever liked someone?" Naruto asked, and it caught Sasuke a little off guard. "Like, _like_ like, you know," he clarified, making a random gesture with his hands, and the Uchiha raised an eyebrow.

"Not really," he admitted, because this was Naruto, and he could admit that to him. He shrugged, making to stand again, but that hand was still on his wrist and he was starting to get a little uncomfortable.

"I um... I know we've only known each other since school started and all, but you know Sasuke, I think I like you." Sasuke noticed that Naruto was staring pointedly at his hand, but when the boy realized it he found his eyes locked onto his friend's.

"Are you asking me out?" he asked, bluntly, raising an eyebrow and trying to dissolve the tension that seemed to be building up in the room.

"Er... well, if you want?" Naruto answered, recognizing the tension and also trying to shatter it with a dazzling grin, covering up his unease easily. "How about this, we'll play any game on that shelf," he pointed to the shelf housing most of Sasuke's video games, "and if I beat you, you have to kiss me." He looked for all the world as if he thought it was the best idea ever.

Sasuke, on the other hand, was skeptical, but a challenge was a challenge, and what harm could one kiss do? The worst that could happen would be him not liking it.

"Fine," he said, standing finally now that Naruto's grip had released his wrist and making his way over to the shelf. "But _if_ you win, and I don't like it, you have to agree that we'll still just be friends. Nothing changed."

He looked back at Naruto in order to catch his response, and the blond nodded, completely serious. "I can live with that," he said, and Sasuke was going to hold him to it.

------------

The pilot was calling mayday frantically over the radio. The controls were unresponsive and a fire had broken out in the cabin. The left engine was completely obliterated, the wing torn off from the force of the explosion. The ground was coming up fast and Mikoto looked at her husband, tears in her eyes as she held his hand tightly. They were in a spin, and there was no way or time to get out safely before they crashed. Tomorrow was going to be Sasuke's sixteenth birthday. They were originally going to be away on business through the rest of the week, but they had pulled strings to get home in time as a surprise.

"Do you regret what we did to them, Fugaku?" It was the first thing that came to her mind, something she'd regretted herself for the past two and a half years. Her husband was silent, but in the flickering cabin lights, she could see the regret plastered clearly on his face.

"All we can do is hope that if they ever meet again and Sasuke finds out the truth, that they can find it in their hearts to forgive us," she said to him, and he squeezed her hand as the trees scraped against the fuselage in a sickening orchestra of screeching before everything was suddenly, violently over.

* * *

THANKS EVERYONE FOR MAKING IT THIS FAR! I'll note that the prologue is just some short thing to finish it off on a lighter note than this chapter ends on, and this IS the last chapter. I'd say if you review any chapter at all, make it this one or the epilogue. And please, I don't even care if it's short, though long reviews really make my day.

Also! Super special author's note GO! One person guessed it right on, and another guessed something close, so as excited as I am about that, I'm going to take one request each for the following people:

**demona013** and **Light is Gay**

Thank you for proving that the idea wasn't TOO obscure! Requests can be sent via PM, and I'm pretty lenient about what I allow in requests, so just drop a line whenever you want and if we need to we can hash out the details there. But pretty much anything goes so just let me know!

ALSO ALL THE REST OF YOU ARE STILL AWESOME TOO, I LOVE YOU GUYS. You've really helped me to finish this story, honestly.


	10. Just Stay With me a While

So this is it, guys, this is really the end of Anomaly. I tried in this to kind of sink back to the story's roots, mimicking the style of the prologue towards the end. I like to think I did a decent job.

I got the lyrics for Anna Molly off of because let's face it, I got about three or four different versions searching for one with punctuation, and this was the one I'd used for chapter titles, so I wanted to just stick with it. So forgive the lack of punctuation, okay?

Kind of happy ending!

Kind of short, too, but I'm satisfied with it, and I hope you are too. Happy reading, and another endless thanks to everyone who's favorited and reviewed so far!

* * *

"Stay," Sasuke said, gripping Itachi's wrist and tugging the older man's arm. "You don't have to be at work for another three hours, you can stay in bed for another ten minutes."

Eventually, the elder gave in, crawling back under the covers and tugging Sasuke flush against his still naked form. "But it won't be just another ten," he reasoned, his hand snaking down between them to rub against Sasuke's already prominent arousal, "will it, Sasuke?"

"Not if you keep doing that," came the low response, and Itachi reasoned that perhaps today, he would be late to work on purpose.

The sun was just beginning to rise, blazing trails of brilliant gold across the glass and metal jungle surrounding their not so empty Fourth Street flat. Early morning commuters were already getting stuck in traffic far below the room where two lovers, two brothers, found each other again.

The pier was lonely now in his absence, and it didn't matter so much anymore that when he left the solace and sanctuary of Itachi's company he wouldn't be spared any second glances. It didn't matter so much anymore because there was a house where someone waited for him. For once in his life, everything seemed to come full circle, and even though he knew he would have a lot of explaining to do eventually, right now he was perfectly content for the first time in four and a half years.

------------

_A cloud hangs over  
Its a city by the sea  
I watch the ships pass and wonder if she might be  
Out there and sober as a well for loneliness  
Please do persist girl its time we met and made a mess_

I picture your face in the back of my eyes  
A fire in the attic a proof of the prize  
Anna Molly, Anna Molly, Anna Molly  
Doo doo doo doo do, Doo doo doo doo do

A cloud hangs over  
And mutes my happiness  
A thousand ships couldn't sail me back from distress  
Wish you were here  
I'm a wounded satellite  
I need you now put me back together make me right

I picture your face in the back of my eyes  
A fire in the attic a proof of the prize  
Anna Molly, Anna Molly, Anna Molly  
I'll crawl to your name  
I'll bend to the earth  
Nobody else could ever compare  
Anna Molly, Anna Molly

Wait there is a light  
There is a fire illuminated attic  
Fate or something better I could care less  
Just stay with me a while  
Wait there is a light there is a fire defragmenting the attic  
Fate or something better I could care less  
Just stay with me a while

I picture your face in the back of my eyes  
A fire in the attic, a proof of the prize  
Anna Molly, Anna Molly, Anna Molly  
I'll crawl to your name  
I'll bend to the earth  
Nobody else could ever compare  
Anna Molly, Anna Molly  
Anna Molly (wait there is a light, there is a fire defragmenting the attic)  
Anna Molly (fate or something better, I could care less, just stay with me a while)

Doo doo doo doo do do, Doo doo doo doo do do

-Anna Molly, Incubus

* * *

Thank you, everyone, for making it to the end with me. I honestly don't know how to express how much all your reviews, favorites, watches, and just plain reads have meant to me while writing this fic. If you haven't reviewed yet and feel inclined to, I'd say that this is probably THE chapter to review. Just go nuts, tell me what you liked, what you loved, what you hated. Since this is the end, you've got everything to comment on if you haven't yet. I'm all ears!

I've wondered, where do I go from here? I'm both sad and relieved to see this to its end. Sad because it's over, and I'm at a bit of a loss, and relieved that, after all this time, _I AM DONE WITH IT._ Relieved because the quality of it didn't decline as I went along, and I made it to the end on my own. It's an accomplishment for me that I didn't once lose interest (that I recall at least), and have been excited for the end since I really got it started.

I hope that all of you who liked this fic will stick with me and drop by to see whatever I come up with next. I promise there will be more Uchihacest, because not only do you like it (you must, if you've made it this far), but I do too. Hope to see you around!


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